Douluo Continent: Reborn as Yuhao, they all have ulterior motives.

Chapter 402 Dai Hao: I Don't Have a Son Named Dai Mubai (Part 2)

"Is this the current Duke of the White Tiger?"

The moment Xu Jiawei saw Dai Mubai's expression change drastically, he realized that things were going to go wrong. Without hesitation, he immediately stood in front of Dai Luoli.

As expected, the instant he completed his movement, an overwhelming and despairing pressure descended, suppressing him completely and rendering him unable to move. Even the bones in his body creaked under that force.

As for Dai Luoli behind him, since she was not targeted by Dai Mubai, she only suffered a slight aftershock of his pressure. In addition, she was immediately protected by Xu Jiawei's soul power, so she was fortunate enough to avoid any harm.

Seeing this, Xu Jiawei breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Even as a titled Douluo, he could hardly withstand such pressure. If it were to fall on Dai Luoli, it would probably take his life in an instant.

Putting aside the fact that he had invited Dai Luoli over on his own initiative, he should have done his best to ensure Dai Luoli's safety, both morally and logically. Judging from the fact that Huo Yuhao was willing to let this younger brother inherit the title of Duke, the relationship between the two brothers should be quite good. If something were to happen to him, he would not be able to explain it to Huo Yuhao.

Suppressing the pain coursing through his limbs and the panic in his heart, Xu Jiawei revealed a perfectly measured look of shock and anger, and asked with feigned confusion.

"What do you mean by this, senior? I have clearly brought the person as you requested, why are you suddenly going to attack?"

"Ha, still putting on an act even now!"

As if he were laughing in anger, Dai Mubai slightly turned his gaze, staring at Xu Jiawei with a fierce look in his eyes, and questioned him in a cold voice.

"Does my White Tiger lineage have no one else left, that we've been reduced to letting a child of such a young age inherit the title of Duke?!"

As he spoke, the pressure he exerted on Dai Luoli suddenly intensified, forcing the other party to activate his martial soul to withstand the pressure.

As five spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—lit up, Dai Luoli's body was covered in blood-red fur.

Unlike his previous life, where he only awakened his Blood Tiger Martial Soul at the age of eighteen with Huo Yuhao's help, in this life, he had already obtained a way to awaken his Martial Soul from Huo Yuhao five or six years ago during the Star Luo Soul Master Competition.

Thanks to the fact that this change happened much earlier, Dai Luoli's body is still in a highly malleable developmental period. When she awakens, she will not have to suffer like she did in her previous life. She only needs to focus on cultivating her mental strength on a regular basis.

With his martial spirit fully awakened, some of the shortcomings in his cultivation were greatly improved. More than five years later, his cultivation level has advanced by leaps and bounds.

At the same age, he was only a Soul Master in his previous life, but in this life he has become a Soul King. His talent is enough to be called genius even in Shrek Academy's inner court.

But this clearly did not satisfy Dai Mubai.

"I thought he was some kind of genius, but it turns out he's just like that?"

Seeing Dai Luoli's striking blood-red hair, his tone grew even colder.

"Although he has the blood of my White Tiger family, his martial spirit isn't even that of the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, and his talent can only be described as mediocre. You're telling me this kid is the current White Tiger Duke!?"

"Has my White Tiger lineage truly fallen to such a state, or does His Majesty have some grudge against the Duke's mansion and have simply sent some random young man from the White Tiger lineage to deal with me?"

"Senior, you may not know this, but the White Tiger lineage is indeed now reduced to just the one behind me."

Faced with Dai Mubai's questioning, Xu Jiawei's mind raced, and he forced himself to explain: "The previous White Tiger Duke had a falling out with one of his illegitimate sons due to some personal moral issues, which led to the tragic deaths of his other two sons who possessed the pure Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul. He himself was also crippled in the Soul Master Competition five years ago."

"And the one behind me, though not a direct descendant, is one of the last two surviving sons of the previous duke, and only he has the right to inherit the ducal mansion."

"."

Dai Mubai fell silent.

So, his White Tiger lineage is almost wiped out by his own people?!

He opened his lips as if he wanted to say something, but when he thought of how he and his own brother had hurt each other over the right to inherit the throne ten thousand years ago, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat.

After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand to remove the oppressive aura and said in a cold voice.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiawei's tense body relaxed slightly.

He knew that he had temporarily gotten through this hurdle.

Now that things have come to this, he can only try his best to blame everything on Dai Hao. If Dai Mubai is reasonable, he shouldn't make things difficult for him and Huo Yuhao.

But what if the situation is the opposite...?

With this in mind, he quickly recounted what had happened, such as Dai Hao abandoning his wife and children and allowing the Duchess to bully Huo Yuhao and his mother, etc. He wished he could portray this once famous imperial general as an unpardonable sinner.

This approach naturally has an effect, but the target of the effect is not Dai Mubai, but Zhu Zhuqing who is beside him.

Perhaps because she had faced the Zhu and Dai families alone when she was young, Zhu Zhuqing was clearly more sensitive to such matters. After hearing about Dai Hao's deeds, she couldn't help but frown, her eyes filled with disgust.

On the contrary, Dai Mubai remained calm and composed throughout.

As a former prince of the Star Luo Kingdom, he felt hopeless in the competition and played around much more than Dai Hao. Back when he first met his good brother Tang San, he was still holding a pair of twins on his left and right, ready to go to a hotel.

Although he later restrained himself for various reasons, it did not mean that his unrestrained and unruly heart would be extinguished. In comparison, Dai Hao had only found a few more women, which was not a big deal in his eyes.

And so what if the younger generation makes a mistake? Could he really just stand by and watch the White Tiger lineage die out?

"What was the name of that guy you mentioned who turned against Dai Hao? Huo Yuhao?"

"Yes." Xu Jiawei nodded.

Dai Mubai pressed on, "His martial soul has mutated too?"

"Yes, his martial soul is even more thoroughly mutated than that of Dai Luoli next to me, and it no longer belongs to the category of tiger-type martial souls."

"I see."

Dai Mubai stroked his chin and waved his hand casually: "I already know what happened. Although Dai Hao has some moral failings, as an imperial general who has guarded the border for many years, he has at least worked hard, even if he hasn't made any great contributions. Considering that he hasn't committed any major mistakes, I think it would be better to just release him."

Both Huo Yuhao and Dai Luoli have mutated martial souls, and no one knows whether their descendants will inherit the iconic evil-eyed white tiger. In contrast, although Dai Hao's cultivation has been crippled, he still has the ability to procreate. While he still has that ability, he can at least help the White Tiger family continue its bloodline.

Besides, it's just that his dantian was destroyed. As a god, healing him would be a piece of cake.

There's no need to wait for Dai Hao's offspring to be born. With his deep-rooted reputation in the Star Luo Empire, all he needs to do is appear before people and issue a few divine decrees. The blind populace will spontaneously support him and place him on the throne.

When that time comes, it will be time for Xu Jiawei to step down.

".?"

Upon hearing Dai Mubai's words, Xu Jiawei was stunned for a moment, then his face instantly darkened.

"Senior, what the previous Duke of White Tiger did was not just a minor mistake. Not to mention that he has lost all his prestige in the army, if he is released, it may cause unrest in the military camp. Huo Yuhao may also have grievances if he finds out..."

Now that things have come to this, how could he not see Dai Mubai's intentions?

This guy probably never intended to let go of the throne he was sitting on!

Moreover, Dai Mubai not only wanted to take back the imperial power to the Dai family, but also wanted to arrange for members of the Dai family under his control to sit in this position!

After all, Dai Luoli was right in front of him, yet he demanded the release of Dai Hao. On the surface, this might just be because he wanted a pure bloodline holder with the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul to inherit the throne. But the real reason was probably because Huo Yuhao and Dai Luoli had become too close to him and had been labeled as belonging to the Xu family in his eyes. If they inherited the throne, there was a high probability that they would slip out of his control in the future.

As for Xu Jiawei's reminder, Dai Mubai simply leaned back against the sofa behind him and waved his hand dismissively.

"I only asked you to release Dai Hao, not to let him take over military affairs again. How could that affect the military? Besides, if anything really happens, I'll step in and help you suppress it."

"As for Huo Yuhao, if he has any objections, just say that it was all my idea, and I think he will give me, his ancestor, some face."

Although Huo Yuhao is indeed very talented according to Xu Jiawei's introduction, in the end, he is just a lucky being from the lower realm. Unless he can become a god, he is not worth his attention.

"But……"

Seeing Xu Jiawei's mouth open as if he wanted to say something, Dai Mubai frowned slightly and reminded him impatiently.

"There are no 'buts', Your Majesty. I don't have much patience, and I don't like people questioning my decisions again and again. Even if Dai Hao is guilty towards Huo Yuhao, he beat his own father like this, even cruelly crippling his cultivation and imprisoning him. Isn't he completely wrong?"

"There is no hurdle that cannot be overcome between father and son. Dai Hao had already put aside his dignity and apologized in front of tens of thousands of people, which can be said to have given Huo Yuhao a lot of face, but he was unmoved at all. It can be seen how cold-blooded he is."

"Fortunately, this kid has some self-awareness and didn't inherit the dukedom. Otherwise, I would definitely have cleansed the house on behalf of the White Tiger lineage. Just imagine, if someone could kill his own father without any scruples, what irrational things would he do if he became the White Tiger Duke?"

"If a person only has strength and talent, but lacks the magnanimity to match it, he will only be a disaster for the world. I think it would be better if you called Dai Hao and Huo Yuhao over together, had them shake hands and make peace, and returned to their good relationship."

"..."

Upon hearing these somewhat familiar words, Xu Jiawei inexplicably recalled the bizarre scene where Xuanji Douluo, who was full of righteousness and morality, ultimately met a tragic end on the competition field.

I wish this guy could experience that feeling too...

Of course, Xu Jiawei only dared to think about such things in his heart.

Although he didn't know the exact strength of the being behind Huo Yuhao, Dai Mubai in front of him was a genuine god, so he naturally couldn't push him into a fire pit.

As for the so-called surrender and defection, Xu Jiawei never even considered it. Putting aside Dai Mubai's behavior, even if he did do it, the other party would not let him go. He himself was not the kind of person who would regret his actions.

He was willing to accept the consequences of his bet and had no regrets. He had already considered the worst-case scenario when he decided to be tied to Huo Yuhao, so he was not so afraid at the moment.

Looking back now, sending Xu Jiujiu to join the Spirit Pagoda was definitely the best decision he ever made.

An unprecedented Star Crown Martial Soul possessor with three 100,000-year soul rings, judging from talent alone, this girl has probably already left me far behind.

Even if he were to die at Dai Mubai's hands in the end, it is not impossible that Xu Jiujiu could continue the bloodline of the Star Crown Sect and even lead the Star Crown Sect to a higher level.

This can be considered as relieving his worries to some extent.

Thinking of this, he seemed to have made a decision and spoke in a deep voice.

"Senior, I have no objection to releasing Dai Hao, but I am afraid I cannot comply with the request for the father and son to shake hands and make peace. After all, after dealing with Dai Hao's matter, Huo Yuhao left the Duke's mansion and disappeared. It will probably not be an easy task to contact him."

"Really? Never mind then, I was just saying it casually. We can always find another opportunity if we meet again in the future..."

After saying that, Dai Mubai seemed to have seen through his purpose, and a mocking smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "As for releasing Dai Hao, I'm just idling around anyway, so I might as well go to jail with you."

Looking at Xu Jiawei's noticeably tense body, he said meaningfully, "His cultivation was destroyed, and he was imprisoned for so long, Dai Hao's body must be extremely weak now. If he had accidentally bumped into something on the way here, he might have lost his life..."

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"..."

What can Xu Jiawei say?

Realizing that his desperate plan had been exposed, he could only nod and agree reluctantly.

"Since you have considered things so thoroughly, I have nothing to say."

The latest novel is first published here!

Perhaps it was because he had been suppressed in the God Realm for too long, but now, experiencing the sight of others daring not to speak their anger in front of him due to the difference in strength, Dai Mubai couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips in satisfaction.

"In that case, let's set off."

"This way, please, senior."

……

In the dark and damp dungeon, a sudden burst of noisy footsteps broke the silence.

Taking a deep sniff of the musty smell lingering around her nose, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but frown slightly, clearly disliking her current environment. Seeing this, Dai Mubai couldn't help but remind her.

"Zhuqing, why don't you wait for us at the entrance?"

"Need not."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head and said bluntly, "I'm afraid you might do something outrageous while I'm not around."

"."

Dai Mubai choked for a moment, then gave a resentful twitch of his lips. Before he could say anything more, Xu Jiawei, who was leading the way, stopped.

"We've arrived."

The two paused, instinctively looking up, and immediately saw an extremely disheveled figure.

The flickering candlelight dimly illuminated the dark scene inside the cell, and also the thick chains that extended from the moss-covered walls and bound the man's wrists.

It seems that the cell was cleaned regularly by jailers, and although it looked a bit old, the interior was still fairly tidy.

Looking back at the man sitting on the bed like a statue, his once robust body had become much thinner, and even his signature blond hair had turned as yellow and withered as weeds. His disheveled appearance made people instinctively want to stay away.

Although the wounds, large and small, on his body had healed, they left indelible scars and dried, congealed black bloodstains that seemed to have merged with his skin.

Whether it was the slightly pungent smell that irritated him, or the inability to bear seeing the last remaining member of the White Tiger lineage fall to such a state, Dai Mubai frowned and subconsciously called out the other person's name.

"Dai Hao".

Upon hearing the sound, the man trembled and finally reacted.

He stiffly raised his head, his gaze slowly falling on Dai Mubai.

With blond hair, double pupils, and a burly physique, Dai Hao's eyes widened subconsciously beneath his messy hair after seeing the White Tiger family's series of iconic features.

How could that be?

How could anyone else possess such distinct White Tiger bloodline characteristics besides him?

Looking at his young appearance, could he be one of my unknown illegitimate children?

Filled with doubt, he instinctively asked, "...Who are you?"

He seemed to have not spoken for too long; his voice was weak and listless, sounding like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other.

"My name is Dai Mubai. Do you remember who I am?"

"Dai Mubai?"

Upon hearing this somewhat familiar name, Dai Hao's long-dormant mind began to work rapidly, but he quickly shook his head.

"I don't remember having such a son."

After thinking for a moment, Dai Hao couldn't help but ask, "Who is your mother?"

Although he didn't know when he had another son, if he could find out the identity of the other's mother, perhaps he could remember something.

"."

Seeing Dai Mubai's suddenly gloomy face, Xu Jiawei pursed his lips tightly, afraid that he might burst out laughing at this moment and bring disaster upon himself.

You were thinking about saving people, and now look what happened – you've become someone's son.

Not to mention Xu Jiawei, even Zhu Zhuqing, who rarely smiles, couldn't help but laugh out loud, and her gaze toward Dai Mubai became increasingly meaningful.

Of course, the one who couldn't hold back the most was Dai Mubai, the victim himself.

He had previously thought Xu Jiawei was exaggerating to smear this guy, but it turns out he was actually being conservative!

Damn it, you don't even know how many sons you have. Even Ma Hongjun isn't as outrageous as you!

Suppressing the urge to slap the other person to death, Dai Mubai took a deep breath and coldly reminded him.

"I am your ancestor from ten thousand years ago."

Dai Hao's eyes widened again. After Dai Mubai said that, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally remembered the source of that familiar feeling.

Without the slightest hesitation, he subconsciously changed his posture and knelt down on one knee in front of Dai Mubai.

"Greetings, ancestors!"

"Um."

Dai Mubai's expression softened somewhat, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"I already know about your situation, and I've come here to let you go."

After saying that, he didn't ask Xu Jiawei for the key, but instead reached out and grabbed the fence in front of him.

Under Dai Hao's astonished gaze, the fence, which even a Title Douluo would have to exert considerable effort to destroy, was easily torn apart, the whole process as effortless as crushing a piece of tofu.

After doing all this, he looked at Dai Hao, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and chuckled, "Aren't you going to come out already?"

"oh oh"

Dai Hao nodded somewhat blankly, and subconsciously took stiff steps to Dai Mubai's side.

Even after he walked out of the cell, his mind was still filled with disbelief.

It's as if all of this is a dream.

Is it really that simple?

Did I just regain my freedom like that?

However, before he could even comprehend the situation, Dai Mubai pointed a finger at his dantian.

In an instant, divine power surged from his fingertips, clearing all the blocked meridians in his body, and even restoring his dantian, which had been shattered by Huo Yuhao, to its original state.

"I have restored your dantian. As long as you continue to cultivate for another year or two, you will be able to regain your former cultivation level."

Hearing Dai Mubai's voice, Dai Hao shuddered as if waking from a dream. Although he didn't understand why the other party did this, as he felt the soul power flowing through his body again, two lines of clear tears slid down his cheeks.

He knelt down before Dai Mubai again, this time with a more sincere and earnest tone in his voice.

"Many thanks to our ancestors for their grace in creating us!"

Dai Mubai waved his hand casually, about to say something, when suddenly his expression hardened.

In his perception, there seemed to be a strange fluctuation that swept past their current location, and the feeling was like... divine sense?

Zhu Zhuqing, who was beside her, seemed to sense it as well, and her body tensed up instinctively.

The next second, a white-haired figure appeared out of thin air next to Xu Jiawei, looking at Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing with undisguised joy.

"We've found you."

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(End of this chapter)